Out Of Time
by Silence Is Not Golden
Summary: Someone in Natsu's past craves for something that would deliberately inflict pain into the dragon slayer's heart. What better action is there than taking the woman that he cherished deeply with his entire life. NaLu


********Disclaimer: All characters mentioned below belong to Hiro Mashima but I am sure everybody knew that already.********

**Note: Let me set up the timeline for this. The Tenrou Jima arc didn't happen so this happens five years after the Edolas arc…does that make sense?**

**Warning for cursing**

...

Part 1

Another bang up job from the strongest team in Fairy Tail today…well if you don't count the part where the city was absolutely totaled by said strongest team. Other than that, it was indeed a bang-up job.

Lucy groaned. "I hate this. Will I be able to pay the rent this month?" She screamed at the river.

She loves her team, don't get her wrong, but at times, they could go over board. Her friends go really over the top to the point that at the end of the mission, their award money always winds up paying for the damage cost around the city. "Why are they so crazy!" Plue shook steadily beside her, agreeing with a, "Pu pun." [Translation: "Crazy bunch of wizards."] "I know right, Plue. Why are all my friends crazy?" The celestial wizard smiled happily. Nevertheless, she wouldn't change them for the world.

"Puuun. Pun pu pun!" [T: "What about Natsu. I don't think he's just your friend. Maybe more?"] Lucy blushed. "Shut up, Plue. Why are you bringing this up? I said Natsu and I are friends. Jeez." She almost kicked the celestial dog in the river. "Puu puuun!" [T: "You like him."] "Who are you, Happy now?" She dismissed the annoying bugger. Lucy fumbled inside her bag for her keys.

_First a shower and then a…_

A hand roughly covered her mouth. "Hello, there. Lucy Heartfilia-san." Powerful arms seized her waist and she was suddenly pressed against a hard form. His breath brushed against her ears. "Shh. I will not hurt you…yet." The man's voice wasn't familiar. Lucy was paralyzed. _Why does this always happen to me? _"Lucy-san, I am sorry to involve you into this." And the last thing she was able to catch was, "but, Natsu-san is all to blame," before darkness engulfed her.

…

"Aye!" Gray and Natsu screamed in unison. They somehow got Erza mad again, and now she was threatening them with her signature weapon, a blade. "All right, boys. No more fooling around. Am I being clear?" The frightened duo weakly uttered, "Crystal clear."

"What?"

"CRYSTAL CLEAR, ERZA-SAN!" Erza sheathed her blade. "Good. Now, where is Lucy? We have a new mission to complete. " Mira overheard her childhood friend and informed the group that Lucy went home. "I see. Thank you, Mirajane."

"Natsu! Natsu!" Happy all of the sudden yelled in panic. The flying cat just came from outside and was holding something in his paws. The set of golden and silver keys in the cat's custody was a little reminiscent of Lucy's keys. "Natsu, I found this in front of the guild. I think its Lucy's." The fire dragon slayer took it from the cat's clutches. He stared at it. Lucy would never leave her precious keys haphazardly lying on the ground, unless something happened to her. For a couple of years now, he had spent every waking moment of his life around her and he knew her. She treated her spirits keys like her family. This wasn't like her.

_Lucy._

"Happy, where did you find this?" After his best friend answered, Natsu forcibly squeezed his hands, nails digging into his skin. Outside, he kept a blank expression, but the fire that coursed through his blood burnt his skin. It was found near the gates of the guild. Was it a warning of some sort? _Lucy. _He didn't want to jump into conclusions, but if something happened to her…

The world would not survive.

Gray and Erza looked at each other, worry evident in their faces. "Dragon boy, let's go look for her."

…

The sun was beginning to set, but there were still no signs of Lucy. The entire Fairy Tail guild was invested in finding their favorite Celestial wizard, however, nothing was coming up. Not a clue, no witnesses, and not even a speck of her blonde hair were found. Team Erza especially, relentlessly searched for their missing teammate and decided to split up in order to cover more bases.

"Lucy!" Natsu sounded out. He asked any city folks loitering around the streets, the baker that sold Lucy's favorite bread, the bookkeeper of her favorite library, her landlady. He even asked the dogs wandering nearby her house for any signs of his beloved friend.

Nothing.

There was no mention of Lucy's whereabouts anywhere.

He crossed an alleyway, regardless of how pointless it might be. She could be there, Natsu told himself, but alas, nothing. "Fucking…where the hell are you, stupid woman!" A voice filled his mind. The dragon slayer looked around.

"Who the fuck is there?" Agitation oozed out his husked tone. The alleyway was desolate and the only thing scurrying around were the alley rats that scrounged around for food. "_Natsu-san, I am so glad to finally get to talk to you again. Lucy-san, say hello to Natsu-san."_ The girl's voice was muffled at first, but then he could hear her intelligibly. "_Natsu!"_

"Lucy! Where are you?"

The unknown man's voice returned. "_Tsk, tsk. Natsu-san. You would ruin the thrill of the game. No, you have to find me. Only then you can reunite with your woman."_ There was no physical presence around him, but someone was speaking with him…in his head. Natsu growled. The man must be using some sort of telepathy magic link, much like Warren's ability. "_You have two hours, Natsu-san. By the way, __this is a one-player game so don't even think about inviting Titania or that Ice-make wizard friend of yours. Or anyone for that matter. If you do, I will know and I will kill her. This, I promise you."_

"_Oh and Natsu-san."_ Natsu could hear a sick, cracking noise, as if someone's bones were breaking. Lucy's muffled shrills pierced his ears. "What are you doing to her!"

The voice was laughing. "_When the time limit has concluded, for every three minutes you are late in finding my location, I break something of hers. Just like how exhibited a minute ago. Surely, you don't want that. Right, Natsu-san?" _

"Lucy! Stop it! Please!" He pleaded desperately. The clock tower nearby blasted Natsu ears, almost shattering his eardrums. "_I'll give you a hint, Natsu-san." _The line was silent, so he thought Lucy's kidnapper had cut him off, hanging him in suspense. After painstaking minutes, he finally said, "_We're somewhere in Magnolia." _His mocking laughter came up again. "_Tick tock, Natsu-san. The clock is ticking. We'll talk later."_

The link terminated.

…

Lucy bit her inner cheeks to stifle the scream that was escaping. She was blindfolded and her feet were tied together. Her left hand was roped around something cold and jagged while her right…her right hand laid wasted, broken by her side. The celestial wizard has tried moving it, but a jolt of pain would always follow right after. _Pain is good. It'll keep me awake._ Her petite body quivered like a leaf. "Lucy-san, are you asleep?" Her captor spoke. His tone was soft and tender, in contrast from his earlier tone, which was malicious and unforgiving. "What do you want? Why are you doing this?" A staccato like laughter traveled to her ears. It reverberated across the room.

_Echo? _That meant that she was somewhere spacious, perhaps empty even. Her nose could make out the smell of oranges and the constant ticking of a clock swarmed in her ears. _Where am I? _"What I want, Lucy-san? I've waited for this long. Natsu-san took my father. He killed him!" He seized her shoulders and shook violently. Lucy almost swallowed her tongue. Her arm protested. It throbbed, it gnawed at her like the sharp fangs of a feral animal and she wanted to carve it out of her body just so she won't feel the pain anymore. "So what I want, Lucy-san…is my revenge."

Rage leaped in. The nerve of him! Accusing Natsu of such a thing. Her dragon slayer would never kill anyone. _He protects people, not kill them._ "You're wrong! Natsu would never do that! Natsu would—" A cloth choked her mouth. He thrust her face onto the tiled surface, breathing heavily. The man's vision blurred with anger and all he wanted to shut her up.

"Lucy-san. I will destroy the very person that Natsu-san holds dearly in this world. In turn, it will kill him as well." The person Natsu holds dearly in this world? Surely, he didn't mean her. There were other people in the guild that Natsu has known his entire life. Why choose her? "I've watched you two. I've watched your progression and I could see it his eyes." He articulated clearly.

"When he finds us, you don't think I would just hand you over. No, no, no, no." He drawled out a series of "no's" and after a while, Lucy feared for her life.

Her captor was manic…

Insane…

Press the wrong button and he could snap. Snap and she could lose more than her arm. However, there was no way in hell was she going to stand for it while a stranger accuse Natsu of something unthinkable.

"I mean to put an end to you. In front him. That way, he could feel agony. Despair." The pressure on her head lifted. "Don't say unnecessary things, Lucy-san."

_Natsu. _He will find her. He always does.

…

10 minutes passed on by.

Then, 15…20…25…30…

35 struck his heart like a razor-edged blade had dug in it, while 40 nearly suffocated him with his own fear.

45 skated by him, mocking, sneering…taunting him that 50 was right around the corner.

Natsu gritted his teeth. He was running out of time.

"_Natsu-san, are you truly serious about this? Your first hour is almost up and you're not even close." _His annoying voice echoed in Natsu's head again. The fire wizard punched the bricked wall of a building, toppling over the empty structure to its knees. With nothing to go by, where was he supposed to begin. Magnolia is large town. By himself alone, how was he going to pinpoint her location? "_Why the sad face, Natsu-san. Have you given up already?" _A primal urge to hurt the person that took Lucy from him swelled even more.

"_How about a clue?" _Natsu wasn't in the mood for games. The man cackled. "Where!"

"_Up. Up. Up. Up .Up." _

_..._

****Hope part 1 was okay...  
><strong>**

****Drop a review when you have the time. Thanks and have a nice day.**** **XD**


End file.
